Improved process of treating indian corn and beet-roots to produce sugar and sirup



F. w. GOSSLING.

Making Sugar.

Patented May 10, I864.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDK. IV. GOSSLING, OF BUFFALO, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

' H. F. BRIGGS, AND L. BRADLEY, OF SAMEILAOE.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF TREATING INDIAN CORN AND BEET-ROOTS T0 PRODUCE SUGARAND SIRUP.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12.728,.dated May10,1864.

.To (6 whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK XV. Goss- LING, of the city of Buffalo. inthe county of Erie and State of New York, assignor to HENRY F. Bnrocs,LYMAN BRADLEY, and F. XV. GOSSLING, have invented or discovered a newProcess for Making Sugar from Indian Corn or Beets, (Betatulgm'ig) andIdo hereby declare that the following is a full and eXa(t descriptionthereof, having reference to the accompanying drawings, making a part ofthis specification.

Having reference to proportions of materials and chemicals used for agiven quantity of sugar on the practice of my process, I in the firstplace take five hundred pounds of Indian corn, of such qualities as areraised in the United States, and soak it in water in open wooden tubs(represented in Fig. 1) for about one week, and then take it out andpass it through a double set of brass rollers or crushing-mill(represented in Fig. 2). and crush it very fine, and then take thiscrushed mass and soak it in water in other open tubs (represented inFig. 3) for about two weeks, changing the water so frequently as toprevent fermentation. This constitutes the first step in my process. Ithen take this mass from the tubs and knead it and strain it through asieve into a long filter, drain, or box. (Shown in Fig. 4.) This drainmay be about fifty feet long and one foot wide. Amilky liquid comesthrough the sieve into the drain and passes over the drainand isdelivered into barrels or tanks. (Shown in Fig. 5.) A portion of theheavier matter will settle on the bottom of the drain, which matter istaken out and put into the barrels or tanks, like Fig. 5, where it,together with the milky liquid, is thoroughly washed in water, in whichwater I use a small quantity of caustic soda, sufficient to give thewater a slight alkaline taste. This caustic soda has the effect todissolve the albumen and gluten and hold them in solution and purify thesac charine matter. The saccharine matter will settle at the bottom ofthe tank, and the soda, albumen, and gluten, being held in solution,will be drawn off with the water through the cooks, leaving thesaccharine matter at the bottom, which is again washed several times inpure clean water. I then have another Fig.7.

covered tank, Fig. 7, ready, in which I put about one hundred gallons ofwater and about twelve pounds of chemical pure oil of vitriol. In thistank there is a worm of lead pipe, which is connected with and takessteam from steam-boiler. A steam-pipe leading from the boiler is shownat A. The latter end of this worm passes out through the top of the tankinto a barrel, all of which is shown in Steam passing through this wormof lead pipe causes the acid water to boil. I am not aware that leadpipe has ever before been used for such purpose. I then take thissaccharine matter from the washing and settling tanks, Fig. 5, and mixit with about twenty gallons of water to a thick liquid in a movabletub, Fig. 6, and put it very gradually into the boiling acid water inthe covered tanks, Fig. 7, and keep it there in a boiling state forabout two hours. I then let the heat drop down to about 140 Fahrenheit,and then put in about five pounds of the extract of potatoeyes, and thenby regulating the steam through theworm I raise the heat to about 158Fahrenheit, which heatIkcep up for about four hours. After that I raisethe heat up to the boiling point and keep it boiling for about twelvehours longer. So much as passes oft during the boiling I supply byadding pure boiling water. This operation has converted the saccharinematter to a sugarliquid, and completes the second step in the process.Then I put this sugar-liquid into a separate tank, Fig. 9, andneutralize it with either lime, ba-

ryt-a, whiting, or chalk, and allow it to settle and then draw off thesugar-liquid. The tank is provided with several faucetsone above theother-for this purpose. The sediment I rewash several times until allthe sugar matter is out, and then I put all this sugar-liquid into avapor-vat, Fig. 8, which has a leaden worm and is connected with a steamboiler similar to Fig. 7. Then I put therein about one and a half poundpure term magnesia/It's calcinata, and then pass steam through this wormand cause the sugar-liquid to vapor down to about the consistency ofthin sirup, and then let it cool down to about 80 Fahr enheit. \V henthis is done I put in abouttwo per cent. of fresh bullocks blood, andstir it up well, and then let it boil for about .one-

quarter hour. I skim off the scum and dirt I is made from five hundredpounds of corn.

which rises, and then filter it quickly through coarse-powderedanimal-charcoal,which filter is represented in Fig. 10. This completesthe third step in the process,and the sirup is now ready for mixturewith beet-sirup, as hereinafter described. It will be observed that inno parts of this process is the corn material subjected to fermentation.

I have purposely avoided fermentation in every part of my process, forthe reason that it is always at the expense of the sugar matter, and itis an important feature in my process to avoid it. I also use inconnection and in combination with the corn-sirup made as abovedescribed a sirup made from beets, (Beta wily art's) which sirup isobtained from the beets in the following manner: Take twentyfive hundredpounds of beets, and wash them thoroughly clean in any convenientmanner. Fig. 13 represents a washing-machine which may be used for thatpurpose. Then grind or mash the washed beets in any suitable mill ormachine, similar in principle to a common cider-mill or tannersbark-mill, (Shown in Fig. 18.) I then take the ground beets and obtainthe sap or juice therefrom by subjectingthe mass to the operation of acommon slandringmaehine, shown in Fig. 17, or press theboiling-point,and then put in from one to two pounds of quicklime. Thiswill purify and discolor the sap. I then filter it, and for thispurposeI use a filtering-tub with two bottoms about two inches apart.The second or upper bottom. is full of little holes. I cover this bottomwith linen cloth, and then put on coarse animal-charcoal, about fifteeninches deep, and then cover the charcoal with linen cloth again, and putover this a removable bottom or follower full of holes, all of which isshown in Fig. 12. This sap is then allowed to filter through, and isdrawn off by a faucet placed between the two bottoms. This completes thesecond step in the process. I now put this filtered sap intoasettling-tank like that shown in Fig. 9, and with it therein I putabout five pounds of whiting neutralized with oil of vitriol, and mix itwell and let it settle. \Vhen settled, this liquid or sap is drawn offand put into a vapor-bath similar to that shown in Fig. 8, and there itis vapored down to athin sirup. During the time it is vaporing down to athin sirup I put in about two per cent. of fresh bullocksblood, topurify it, taking off the scum which rises. I then again run it throughthe filter, Fig.12, which has in the meantime been cleaned and furnishedwith fresh animal-charcoal. This-completes the third step in theprocess, and the sirup is now ready for mixture with the cornsirup.Twenty-five hundred pounds of beets will make about an equal quantity ofsirup as The beet-sirup and the corn-sirup, prepared substantially asdescribed, are 110w mixed in about equal proportions. (These proportionsmay be varied.) Each sirup must be in exactly neutral state when mixed,an d the mixed sirup put into an ordinary steam-vacuum, Fig. 14, whereit is vapored down sufficiently for crystallization. As a test it may beconsidered fit for crystallization when a little of it taken between thethumb and finger will draw into a thread of one or one and a half inchin length, and then break, and curl as it breaks- Then I put the sirupthus boiled down into largevats Fig. 11, for cooling andcrystallization. WVhen crystallization commences it is put into conicalmolds, Fig. 16, where crystallization is completed, and theuncrystallized sirup will drain out, leaving a fine quality of sugar inthe molds, which may then be removed for use. This completes the firststep in my process after the corn and beet sirups have been combined;but in order to further purify and improve the quality of sugar, andmake it still more fine and clear, I put onto the sugar, while in themolds, a small quantity of fine white-beet sirup, and let it filter ordrain through the sugar in the molds, which sirup will take with it allthe coloring-matter which may remain, and thus render the sugar a clearwhite. After this sirup has drained through, and the sugar fully dried,it is ready for market, and is of a superior quality to the bestcane-sugar. This last sirup is prepared in the following manner: Takeabout thirty pints, by measure, of pure beet-sirup and put therein aboutfive eggs in the shell, beaten fine in water, and then boil it well forabout ten or fifteen minutes, stirring the same all the time it isboiling, Then filter it through about twenty pounds of animal charcoalin an extra,

filter for that purpose, Fig. 15. The first that runs through the filterwill be water, the second is sweet water, and the third is the sirup,which Iput upon the molds.

The sugar made from the combination of the corn and beet sirup, asherein described,

is of much finer and better quality than either sirup would makeseparately, and is superior to thebest cane-sugar; but either thecornsirup or the beet-sirup will make a good quality of sugar if eitheris taken and treated separatelythat is to say, take corn -sirup after ithas passed the third step in the above process, or the beet-sirup afterit has passed through the third step in the above process, and thenproceed with either, as above described, after the two sirups have beencombined, and a good quality of sugar is obtained. I have represented anapparatus used in my process, for the purpose of making my descriptionfull and clear, without intending to limit myself to this specificapparatus.

Some of the devices are believed to be new in sugar-making, and othersmay be old. I intend to apply for a patent for so much of said apparatusas I believe to be new.

\Vhab I claim as my invention, and desire to 3. The process of makingbeet-sirup from secure by these Letters Patent, is I beets, in eachsuccessive step thereof, sub- 1. The process of making sugar from cornstantially as herein described. and beets substantiali as hereindescribed. 2. The process of m king corn-sirup from FREDERICK GOSSLING'corn, in each successive step thereof, prepara- I \Vitnesses: tory toits conversion into sugar, substantially! E. B. FORBUSII, as hereindescribed. B. H. MUEIILE.

